Chapter 282: Sai's Betrayal
The instant Orochimaru appeared, Kabuto reacted.
He tore off the black robe covering his body and flickered forward, placing himself between Orochimaru and the disguised Yamato with a kunai raised defensively.
His eyes remained fixed on the figure wearing Sasori's appearance.
"If Sasori had not drawn his kunai just now, even I might not have noticed something was wrong."
Yamato said nothing.
Behind Sasori's false face, his thoughts moved quickly.
Kabuto had misunderstood the situation.
For the moment, that misunderstanding actually worked in their favor.
The question was whether he should attack now.
Kabuto.
Orochimaru.
With Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and himself present, their side had enough strength to attempt capturing both of them.
Across the bridge, Orochimaru stood beneath the open sky.
The wind brushed against his pale face and stirred his long black hair.
His golden eyes remained fixed on the false Sasori.
"Seeing you like this brings back memories."
His voice carried its familiar rasp.
Yamato maintained the disguise.
"So you followed Kabuto."
Orochimaru smiled.
"Followed him?"
His long tongue briefly slid across his lips.
"You make it sound so unpleasant."
His gaze shifted toward Kabuto.
"If anything, I should thank you."
"You sent me an excellent subordinate."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
Orochimaru continued.
"His Medical Ninjutsu has contributed greatly to my experiments."
Yamato's eyes sharpened.
Then Kabuto moved.
Chakra gathered around his right hand.
A glowing Chakra Scalpel formed.
For a moment, it looked like he was preparing to attack Orochimaru.
Instead, he spun.
Slash!
The Chakra Scalpel tore straight through Sasori's body.
Wood cracked.
The disguise shattered.
Yamato leapt backward as the Wood Release shell split apart around him.
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Snakes erupted from his sleeve.
Several thick serpents crossed the bridge in an instant and wrapped around Yamato.
Their fangs sank into his body.
Venom flowed.
Then the captured Yamato hardened.
Wood grain spread across his skin.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
The body collapsed into timber.
"A Wood Clone."
Yamato emerged several metres away.
Orochimaru studied him with renewed interest.
"Wood Release…"
Recognition appeared in his eyes.
"So you're the child who survived that experiment."
Yamato ignored the remark.
His attention remained on Kabuto.
"So you really betrayed Akatsuki."
Kabuto gave a mocking laugh.
"Betrayed?"
He pushed his glasses higher.
"Lord Orochimaru and I simply share the same ideals."
His smile sharpened.
"I believe remaining at his side is the correct choice."
The brief exchange ended.
Then Orochimaru looked toward the rocks overlooking one side of Tenchi Bridge.
His smile returned.
"You can stop hiding."
Yamato's expression tightened.
Orochimaru continued.
"Tell the two little mice over there to come out."
Two.
Yamato immediately understood.
Orochimaru had detected Sakura and Sai.
But not Naruto.
That gave them an opening.
Yamato raised one hand.
The original signal had involved three fingers.
Instead, he raised only two.
From the forest, Naruto understood immediately.
He whispered,
"You two go."
Sakura glanced toward him.
"What about you?"
"Orochimaru hasn't noticed me yet."
Naruto kept his eyes on the bridge.
"I'll stay hidden until there's an opening."
Sakura nodded.
"Alright."
She flickered from the forest.
Sai watched Naruto for another moment.
Then followed.
The two landed on Tenchi Bridge beside Yamato.
Orochimaru's gaze swept across them.
Then stopped on Sakura.
His smile deepened.
"So many familiar faces."
Sakura glared at him.
Orochimaru looked around.
"If you're here…"
His golden eyes narrowed with amusement.
"Then Naruto must be nearby as well."
He remembered the boy from three years ago.
Flying Thunder God.
That strange transformation.
And more troublesome than any of those things, Asuramaru.
That sword was an extremely poor match for Orochimaru.
It attacked the soul itself.
Three years ago, Asuramaru had possessed Naruto and forced him to retreat.
There was no reason to assume Naruto had remained stagnant since then.
Quite the opposite.
The boy's growth had always been monstrous.
Orochimaru had little desire to fight him now.
His current body already suffered from severe rejection.
His hands remained unable to perform ordinary ninjutsu properly after the damage caused by the Reaper Death Seal.
And the time to claim Sasuke's body was approaching.
Suffering a serious injury here would be foolish.
There was another temptation, however.
Yamato.
A surviving product of his old Hashirama cell experiments.
Capturing him would offer valuable research material.
For several seconds, Orochimaru weighed the possibilities.
Then he decided against it.
Not today.
His smile thinned.
"Kabuto."
Kabuto turned.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?"
"We're leaving."
Kabuto did not question him.
"Understood."
The two turned.
Yamato's eyes sharpened.
"You think you can simply walk away?"
His hands formed seals.
"Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison Technique!"
The bridge erupted.
Thick trunks burst from the stone surface.
Wood twisted together from every direction, rapidly surrounding Orochimaru and Kabuto.
Branches crossed.
Trunks locked.
Within seconds, a dense wooden prison sealed the two inside.
Yamato looked toward Sakura and Sai.
"I'll handle Orochimaru."
His voice became firm.
"You two take Kabuto."
Sakura immediately raised her fists.
"Leave him to us."
Sai smiled.
But his thoughts were elsewhere.
Crack!
The wooden prison exploded from within.
Splintered timber scattered across Tenchi Bridge.
Orochimaru and Kabuto emerged from the wreckage.
Neither tried to counterattack.
They ran.
Yamato responded immediately.
More trees burst from the bridge.
Thick branches raced after Orochimaru like living serpents.
He dodged around them.
Kabuto followed closely.
The Wood Release attacks slowed them slightly, but not enough.
Naruto watched from concealment.
If he waited any longer, Orochimaru would escape.
He moved.
Flash!
Golden light erupted beside Yamato.
Naruto appeared.
Yamato glanced toward him.
Naruto already had several three pronged kunai between his fingers.
He threw them.
Whoosh!
The marked weapons scattered ahead of the fleeing pair.
Then Naruto vanished.
Flash!
A golden streak crossed the bridge.
Orochimaru looked back.
His smile returned.
"So you were here after all."
Another flash.
Naruto was closing in.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
"Three years, Naruto kun."
He raised one arm.
"I wonder how far you've grown."
His smile became sinister.
"Show me."
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A mass of giant snakes exploded from his sleeves.
They surged toward the approaching golden light.
Naruto did not slow.
Flash!
He disappeared from one point.
Reappeared at another.
The snakes snapped at empty air.
Another kunai passed Orochimaru's shoulder.
Flash!
Naruto appeared directly in front of him.
A massive sphere of compressed chakra roared in his hand.
Orochimaru's expression changed.
"Big Ball Rasengan!"
Naruto drove it forward.
Boom!
The Rasengan crashed into Orochimaru's torso.
The impact folded his body and launched him off the bridge.
He tore through several trees before disappearing into the forest beyond.
Naruto immediately followed.
Orochimaru hit the ground.
Then his mouth opened unnaturally wide.
A pale arm emerged.
Then a head.
A new Orochimaru pulled himself free from the ruined body, covered in mucus from Orochimaru Style Body Replacement.
He landed and began fleeing immediately.
The brief clash had told him everything he needed to know.
Naruto had become far stronger.
With Orochimaru's hands still unable to form seals properly, fighting him directly was out of the question.
There was only one sensible option.
Run.
Behind him, Naruto entered the forest.
"Asuramaru."
"Left."
Naruto changed direction instantly.
"Orochimaru went left."
"Got it."
Naruto accelerated.
Trees blurred around him.
Orochimaru was fast.
Even without relying on ordinary hand seals, his strange body and movement techniques allowed him to travel through the forest at tremendous speed.
For a while, Naruto actually failed to close the distance.
Still, he did not stop.
Then a shadow crossed overhead.
Naruto looked up.
Sai.
The pale young man stood atop a giant black and white ink eagle soaring between the trees.
Naruto initially thought reinforcements had arrived.
Then he saw the scroll.
And the brush.
Sai dragged the brush across the paper.
"Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
Ink surged from the scroll.
Two massive black and white warrior figures emerged.
They resembled fierce Vajra guardians.
Both dropped from the sky.
Straight toward Naruto.
Naruto's expression hardened.
"What?"
One ink warrior swung.
Naruto flickered aside.
The fist smashed the ground apart.
The second attacked from the opposite direction.
Naruto dodged again.
By the time he looked upward, Sai had already passed him.
The ink eagle flew directly toward Orochimaru.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Sai!"
Sai did not answer.
Instead, he continued drawing.
More ink creatures dropped behind him.
One after another, they blocked Naruto's path.
Naruto slashed through one.
Dodged another.
But each obstruction cost time.
Orochimaru's presence grew farther away.
Then farther still.
Until finally, Asuramaru spoke.
"They're gone."
Naruto stopped.
"What?"
"They've left my Perception range."
Naruto stood among the broken trees.
His expression was confused.
Sai had deliberately protected Orochimaru.
There was no ambiguity about it.
Why?
Footsteps approached from behind.
Yamato and Sakura soon appeared.
Sakura immediately looked around.
"Where's Orochimaru?"
Yamato's eyes searched the forest.
Then he noticed Naruto was alone.
His expression changed.
"Where is Sai?"
Naruto turned toward them.
"He attacked me."
Sakura froze.
"What?"
Naruto continued.
"He used his ink creatures to block my pursuit."
His gaze shifted toward the direction Orochimaru had escaped.
"Then he followed Orochimaru."
Sakura stared at him.
A moment later, understanding struck.
"So Sai betrayed us?"
Yamato's expression became grave.
Tsunade's warning before the mission returned to him.
Watch Sai carefully.
There had been a reason.
But this was not the time to stand around discussing it.
Yamato immediately made his decision.
"We'll deal with Sai later."
He looked toward Naruto and Sakura.
"Kabuto told us their current base is on an island in a northern lake."
"And they aren't supposed to leave for another three days."
His eyes sharpened.
"If we move now, we may still reach them before they abandon it."
Sakura clenched her fists.
Sasuke.
They were still not too late.
Naruto nodded.
"Then let's go."
Yamato turned toward the north.
The three immediately set off.
…..
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Frieren: The Demon Who Learned to Love